An Alternative Ending
by PrinceMittens
Summary: Light chooses his words with more care. Matsuda is still an idiot.


Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or any of its Characters.

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"Thirty-six.."

 _Almost_.

"Thirty-seven!"

He could' hardly contain his shaking.

"Thirty-eight."

He couldn't stand it anymore. He just had to let them know. How else could they _appreciate_ how completely and utterly he'd destroyed them?

"Thirty-nine!

He broke, his face twisting involuntarily in exultation. "Near. It's my complete victory."

"Forty!" Mikami's ecstatic cry of release resounded in their ears. The group - mostly the Japanese - crouched with abject fear and anticipation of their impending doom.

For twenty seconds, neither side spoke. During this time, Near examined Light's face carefully. The man's expression of shock was impossible to miss. Near didn't worry. He'd known all along that the notebook he held was the real one. The tall, lanky Death God that stood behind the Japanese forces was all the proof he'd needed to know that his plans had succeeded.

Matsuda was the first to open his eyes. "We didn't die.."

Mikami's ecstasy wilted.

"It's been an entire minute, and we didn't die!"

Light stared at Matsuda's face. The policeman's stupid face filled with relief and wonder. _Impossible! Everything happened exactly as I predicted it! How?!_

"I _did_ say that none of us would die." Near stated calmly.

"Why.. " Mikami raved as he stared down into the Notebook. Their names were written there. Yes. He _did_ write their names.. then why.. "Why aren't they dying!?" He looked expectantly at his God. "G-GOD! I DID EVERYTHING YOU INSTRUCTED!"

Light merely stared back. _Impossible. Impossible!_

Suddenly, at Near's command, Mikami was quickly subdued. The law attorney stood no chance against the trained SPK members and his wrists were quickly bound in cuffs.

Light stared into Near's eyes, his large, abysmal eyes. Near stared back, never flinching as he commanded his subordinate - Gevanni - to hand him Mikami's note. The boy opened the book to the page on which all their names were written. "Please confirm this for yourselves. The first four names are indeed the real names of the members of the SPK. The only name that isn't written here is 'Yagami Light'."

Light carefully memorized all the names written in front of him. _Nate Rivers. His name is Nate Rivers._

Matsuda stared into Light's back. It can't be.. the Chief's son was really Kira? But Kira was the reason the Chief had died. Light was a kind-hearted man. He wouldn't have killed his own father. Would he?

"Mikami also called you "God" and said he did as you instructed." Near continued. "That's all the evidence we need. Yagami Light. You are Kira."

Light shook, and Matsuda looked expectantly at their leader. He must have the answer. Light couldn't be Kira.

"It's a trap!"

Matsuda's heart rose. That's right. It had to be a trap. Light was never wrong.

The Chief's son and one of the most promising geniuses of his generation pointed emphatically toward the child knelt before them. "It's a trap set by Near to frame me! Having your names written down in the notebook and not dying?!" Light continued, his voice frantic. "Isn't that _strange?!_ This proves that it's a trap!"

 _No._ Matsuda's heart sank. _No. No. No. No. NO!_

His breath hitched in disbelief, and his fellow policemen did the same.

Near spared a brief glance to gauge the reaction of the other members of the Japanese police force and mentally noted that they were probably not in league with Kira. It was always a possibility, but it wasn't very likely - especially when their own names were written into the notebook along with his. Still, given the impetus, Kira wasn't averse to killing allies as evident with Takada Kiyomi. Near was 95% positive that the Japanese police force weren't aligned with Light and Kira. "I did say that I'd modified the notebook."

"No! That's impossible! It's a trap." Light yelled desperately. He turned to Mikami and pointed. "You sent him to frame me! I don't even know that person!"

Mikami gaped. After all he's done, his God wouldn't even acknowledge him, and now he was being abandoned - thrown under the bus like a common criminal. Mikami wailed loudly in disbelief, shock and despair.

Aizawa's mind stumbled. He'd expected this. He'd expected to find that Light was Kira. Even so, he'd still held out on the hope that he wasn't, and had prayed to everything he knew that Light would come up with something clever, some good explanation like he always did. Light's failure to deliver was the final straw. There was no doubt now. He walked up and put a hand on Light's shoulder. "Light. It's over. Just then, you said 'It's my complete victory.' That's the same as a confession."

Light bowed his head in thought. There must be something. Something he could do or say to overturn this situation. Mogi walked over and as he raised the handcuffs to Light's wrists, the man pushed him away and ran to a nearby wall, breathing.

Breathe.

 _Breathe!_

"Yagami Light. L. Kira." Near's announced, throwing out the various aliases and names that Light had gone by over the last few years. "You've lost. Although originally you would have won. Earlier when I said that I'd modified the notebook - that applied to the real notebook too. The fake one was slightly modified, but the real one was entirely replaced in secret." Light's breath came out in a papery gasp. The boy reached into his shirt and pulled out a notebook. "This is the real notebook."

"Impossible!" Light wailed.

Near laid out the real notebook alongside Mikami's fake notebook. "With the same material and the same pen that Mikami uses, the appearance, contents, everything looks exact. Gevanni made this for us in one night."

Light looked at the man Near called Gevanni. It wasn't even his real name. Gevanni. Stephen Loud.

Near picked up the real notebook. "Because I've touched the real notebook, I've been able to see the Death God since you've arrived."

"Oh?" Ryuk emitted curiously. What a pleasant surprise.

Near turned his bland focus onto the imposing figure of the Death God. "Mr. Death God. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Near."

Ryuk chuckled. He had to admit, he'd thought Light had this one in the bag. Light's reactions had provided him with _prime_ entertainment, and he had Near to thank for that. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ryuk."

Light observed the exchange with resignation. Being able to see and talk to Ryuk was the ultimate proof. It was all true. He'd lost.

"A number of pages seem to have been torn out of this notebook. If a person's name is written on this torn page, will that person die?"

"Yup. They'd die." Ryuk replied. He had to admit. He was impressed. All that was left was for Near to explain what he did and how. Ryuk couldn't wait.

"I thought so. So there are many ways to use this notebook. Interesting." Near thought back to the volumes and volumes of names written. It was horrendous. "I wonder how many people you've killed, how many times you've fooled those around you. Yagami Light. You are Kira."

 _No. Something's wrong here_. Light looked around and settled his gaze on Mikami's pitiful figure. _Did Mikami betray me?_

Noticing the gaze, Near guessed at Light's thoughts. "No. That's not what happened."

Light turned back to the infuriating boy. _Then how?!_

"If I had to explain, I would say that the one most responsible for creating this situation is Mello."

 _Mello?!_

"Yes. Mello." Near picked up the real notebook and pointed to a name at the top of the page. Light's mouth dropped open. _Takada Kiyomi! And it's set to one minute after I'd already killed her!_ "Looking at this name, you should be able to understand."

Behind the boy, Gevanni spoke up. "We've been following Mikami for a while. He has a habit of going to the bank at the 25th of every month. During Takada's kidnap, we noticed Mikami heading to the bank 2 days after he'd already gone. For someone so punctual, we found this sudden break in his routine to be odd. I followed him to the bank, broke in the deposit box after he left, and found the real notebook with Takada's name written in it."

Light turned a scathing glare at Mikami.

Mikami spluttered. "You said you were being watched and was unable to move. With Takada in that situation, I had to do something."

 _You fucking idiot!_ Light's guts churned with rage. _I told you not to do anything unnecessary until today!_

"Yagami Light." Near interrupted. "Even though you were able to kill with a piece of the notebook, you didn't realize that Mikami had done something on his own. It was only then that I realized that the notebook might have been fake. While neither I or Mello alone were as capable as L, together, we were just as capable. Together, we could surpass him, and now as one - against the one who took down L - it is us who now have the concrete evidence!" Near hid his grin under his sleeves as he continued to eyeball the man that stood against the warehouse wall. "If you can talk your way out of this one, by all means, please do."

The warehouse lapsed into silence as the group waited for Kira's reaction.

Light ground his teeth in fury.

Near - a white haired child who could be no more than fifteen.. a _child_. Of all the people he'd lose to and of all the ways he could've been caught, he was caught by this disgusting English boy who'd deluded himself into believing that he could be anywhere near as good as L. No one was as good as L and no one would ever be. No one except him.

The God of the New World, caught by a kid.. Light began to laugh. All these years of leading the stupid sheep around him on a wild goose-hunt, and this _wannabe kid_ from out of nowhere just happened to get _lucky_. Light exploded, his laughter ringing loudly through the warehouse.

Matsuda gaped. _Light's totally lost it._

"That's right." Light said with a smug expression after his laughter had died down. "I'm Kira.. what are you going to do, kill me?"

Matsuda clenched his fists angrily. _What did the Chief die for? What did your father die for?!_

"Ever since the rise of Kira, wars have ceased, and violent crimes have all but disappeared. Kira's done so much more good than you can possibly imagine! But the world is still rotten! Rotten people still exist everywhere." Light turned as he spoke his heart and poured his motive, hoping that somehow they'd understand. "When I got the notebook, I knew that killing people was wrong, but it was the only way! That was the purpose given to me! Who else could have done it?! To have gone this far?! Who else would've kept going?!" Light dropped his voice, and his outburst faded. "That's right. In order to create a new world, only I could do it."

Matsuda stared at the man he'd always trusted. Light had betrayed them. Light lied to them. Light tried to kill them. Light killed his father, but he was right. The world had become better in some ways that wouldn't have been possible without Kira.

"No." Near replied, sensing the possibility that some among them might have begun to doubt. "You're nothing more than a murderer. And this notebook is the deadliest weapon in the history of mankind. You lost to the Death God and the power of the notebook. You've mistaken yourself to be God. You're just a crazy mass killer. That's all there is to it. Nothing more."

Light examined each member of the police force through slitted eyes to see if any of them sided with him. All of them - even Matsuda - offered only expressions of firm disapproval toward him.

 _Even Matsuda.._ Light turned his eye up to the ceiling. The giant fan on the roof of the warehouse continued to spin lazily. _As if they'd understand, those idiots_.

The group watched the man - the mass murderer - carefully, waiting for his response. Near waited along with them. Subduing him would be easy and was not an immediately urgent problem. The least he could do for this man who'd managed to defeat L was to give him whatever final words he wanted to say.

"Near." Light said confidently. "Are you sure the notebooks that you and Aizawa hold are real?"

Near raised an eyebrow. He couldn't say with Aizawa's notebook, but he knew for a fact that his was indeed real. He could see the Death God after all. _Is he trying to bluff?_

The group watched as Light walked slowly toward the opposite wall, speaking all the while.

"If you want to find out whether or not your notebooks are real, all you have to do is write my name in the notebook to check." Light pulled at the latch to the hidden compartment in his watch. Even if he was going down, he was going to take the little shit with him. He just needed to stall a little longer. "Are the notebooks real?" The latch open and - with deft movements - he pulled out his pen from his breast pocket and made to write on the note that sat in the compartment on his wrist-watch. "Or are they fake?"

Most of them noticed the movement, but it was Aizawa who first shouted out. "It's a hidden note!"

With almost impossible speed, Matsuda drew his gun with a blur and shot Light's wrist with extreme precision despite the distance and the difficult angle. Light's pen fell to the ground with a clatter as he gripped his hand in pain. The bullet had not only punctured his hand, it'd also destroyed a bundle of nerves, causing an immense influx of hurt.

His final plan had been stopped, and by none other than Matsuda. _Matsuda_. The idiot. The clumsy fool. The unintelligent ape that even his sister wouldn't court. And he'd been foiled. By _Matsuda of all people_. "YOU FUCKING DUMBASS!" Light roared."MATSUDA! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE SHOOTING AT?! DON'T FUCK WITH ME!"

Matsuda had never been more hurt. The man he'd trusted.. the son of the hero who he'd looked up to most of his life.. not only had he betrayed them and lied to them, he was finally showing his true colors. Yagami Light never cared about any of them. Not even his father. Matsuda shook with fury. "Your father. Just what the hell did he die for?!"

Light gripped his hand and stared at Matsuda. The pain messing with his ability think clearly, but didn't stop him from going through the situation rationally. That's right. His father. Yagami Souichiro was Matsuda's hero. He could use that to his advantage.

"My father.. you mean Yagami Soichirou?" Light breathed a few breaths of laughter despite the pain. If anyone was stupid enough for this to work, it was Matsuda. "He died for the new world, Matsuda. He died so that crimes would cease and wars would stop and continue to be stopped. The world's a better place with Kira."

Matsuda''s hand shook as tears trailed down his cheeks. Light was right. The world was indeed a better place with Kira in it. Light was the Chief's pride and joy - even though he was Kira. But he couldn't betray his comrades. He couldn't do this. He couldn't decide. Unaware of Matsuda's thoughts, Light kept talking, not pausing to take breath. "If you stop me here, my father's sacrifice will be in vain. I know you understand so KILL THE OTHERS! SHOOT THEM!"

Matsuda turned and shot the man called Gevanni in his head, killing him instantly. He was able to get off a second shot on the man named Lester with Lester shooting him back. At the same time, the blonde woman - Hal - pulled out her gun and started shooting at the Japanese forces who had also drawn their guns and had no doubt been working with Kira the whole time. They'd been tricked.

Aizawa and Mogi were shot down before Ide finally raised his gun. All this happened in the blink of an eye.

Near understood what was happening almost immediately but it was too late. By the time the smoke cleared, only he and Kira were left alive.

Light shook with barely contained mirth. Matsuda was really an idiot. He didn't think things would turn out this perfectly. Then again, he hadn't expected to be caught either. Light started to laugh with Near only staring on in shock.

"Near. No. Nate. I applaud you for finally finding the evidence to convict me, but.." Light's face lit up with an insane smile. "It's still my victory."

With that, Light took out his piece of the Death Note, doing it in a deliberate slow fashion with Near only able to sit in wide-eyed disbelief. The odds of something like this happening were even smaller than the tiniest of fractions. To lose to such a chance of fate.. Kira was going to win on sheer luck.

Near's mind raced before alighting on the only possible route he could take. "Yagami Light. Wait."

Light stopped before he could start with the strokes of Near's last name. He didn't need to rush this. He's won anyway. He might as well hear what Near had to say. Matsuda really was an idiot. Light smiled as he backed away, keeping his distance..

"You lost. I beat you and you know it."

"Me? Lost?!" Light laughed, losing himself in mirth. Near was the one about to die. Him claiming victory was laughable. Light's laughter increased in pitch. The moment Near's name was written on the piece of Death Note - He stopped in horror. His attention refocused on the scene, and his eyes glazed down toward the Death Note - Mikami's real Death Note - that Near held in his hand and a pen - _Mikami's pen_ \- that Near had picked up while Light had been laughing. Mikami simply knelt on the floor, unable to emotionally process his God's rejection of his existence. Near flipped the book around to show that two of the characters to Light's name had already been written.

夜

神

－

"So you've noticed." Near said calmly, his eyes never leaving Light's hand just in case the man decided to try to secretly write his name down. It'd be embarrassing if he died while talking. "That's right, Yagami Light. Even if you write my name on that note, I will have at least 40 seconds to finish writing yours before I die. I already have the majority of it written. You may be stronger and faster than I am, but I will be able to write your name before you can get to me. It doesn't matter what you do. You've _lost._ Turn yourself in quietly and neither of us have to die."

In response, Light directed his attention toward Mikami who knelt next to Near and roared. "MIKAMI! HURRY UP AND STOP HIM. KILL HIM!"

Mikami made to stand, his hands still cuffed. Being bound, Mikami's utility was severely diminished. Near wrestled briefly with the crazy Kira-fanatic before tripping him to the ground. Mikami crashed into the floor and landed on his wrists. The bones to the appendage snapped and he screamed in pain.

Near turned back just in time to see Light getting nearer. Without a moment's hesitation, Near snapped up the pen to get the four strokes to the last character of Light's name down on the page. Just as he was about to scratch the last horizontal line to completing the 'moon' character, Light smashed a fist into Near's face. The boy fell to the ground in a daze as the notebook fell from his grasps. Before he could get back up, Light kicked him, breaking his jaw and his nose.

"YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD THREATEN ME?!" Light offered Near several more blows to his head and body. "I DEFEATED L! YOU'RE NOTHING COMPARED TO HIM! I WIN, NEAR! I WIN!"

Moments later, Light was left panting with effort. Near was almost certainly dead, but just to make sure.. Light took his bloody fingers and scratched the last of Near's name onto his scrap of the Death Note along with another name on the back.

As he calmed, Light finally noticed the dry sounds of a familiar laughter that had been hacking away in the background. Light looked up to meet Ryuk's glowing eyes.

"Ryuk."

Ryuk ignored the human and clutched his stomach as he laughed even harder. Light shook his head and turned to the only other person alive.

Mikami looked up at his God and - despite his pain - managed a smile. "God. Did I do well?"

Light smiled. "You did very well, Mikami."

Mikami cried tears of joy and relief. God recognized him, and God was praising him. He gasped in pain as his bones jarred against his nerves, causing more tears to spring from his eyes. "Help me, God."

Light's smile widened and he knelt, putting his hand on Mikami's shoulder. "I will. Rest, Mikami." In the background, Ryuk choked as he lost his ability to breath properly.

Mikami's eyes widened in horror as he realized the implications of Light's gesture and the Death God's mirth. "No. No! GOD! WHY?! I'VE HELPED YOU MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE! I'VE DONE EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING YOU'VE TOLD ME!"

"And I thank you for it." Light stood, ignoring the sounds of a man whose soul had been shattered into millions of pieces. He picked up the Death Notes. Now all those who knew about him and the Death Note were gone. Finally. It took six years, but he was finally freed from his dogged pursuers. No more Kira taskforce. No more SPK. There were no more threats to Kira. And Misa.. he supposed she was alright to keep around. For now.

Light chuckled. "Ryuk."

Ryuk, who finally managed to control his laughter, floated up on his wiry wings. He suppressed another giggling fit as he swept his glowing eyes over the carnage before finally turning his eyes on Light's smug-looking face. "I have to admit, Light, that was probably one of the best moments I've ever gotten to enjoy. What do you humans call it? A 'climax'?"

"I suppose." Light answered, not really paying attention. The bullet embedded in his wrist was more than a little distracting. He needed painkillers.. something to numb the pain. The sooner the better.

"And that Matsuda." Ryuk cackled. "I can't even begin to describe it."

"Don't worry. I know what you're talking about."

Ryuk floated up behind his pet human as they exited the warehouse. "But Light.. now that your enemies _and_ the entire force you've been fooling are dead, I'm not going to really have anything fun to look forward to now, will I? You've already showed me the 'God of the New World' thing. What do you have planned next?"

"I plan to rule for a long, long time." Light answered as he dialed the number of the Japanese regular police. The lunatics from the SPK had called them to collaborate on the Kira case. The Japanese force had believed that they were going to the warehouse to discuss terms and were instead caught in an extended gun battle. They'd tried to arrest one of the SPK's agents - Mikami - for kidnapping, beating and holding hostage an innocent child - Near. It was at this moment that the SPK took out their guns and initiated a brutal extended physical conflict. Light had been the only one to survive albeit not without his own wounds. Light held his wrist in pain. The pain was excruciating, and he was having trouble dialing the correct numbers. _Matsuda you idiot._

Ryuk stared thoughtfully into the mop of light brown hair, reaching for his pen and his notebook as they moved. He wasn't about to sit around and wait for Light to get old playing the same old game over and over again. That was no fun. It'd been one helluva ride, but as the humans say, all good things come to an end. Ryuk flipped his Death Note to a blank sheet and etched out Light's name in large font. "A long, long time huh?" The Death God chuckled as he admired his handiwork. _Oh this is too funny._

"Yes." Light said as waited for the police to pick up his call. "A very long time."

* * *

-A/N-

* * *

I was extremely tempted to just write this all the way through following canon, but my roommate convinced me to follow through with my original idea. But seriously, Near deserved to win.


End file.
